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February 9, 2004
Breast Cancer Vaccine Study Supported by Unique “Progress
for Patients” Grant from
Avon and National Cancer Institute
Study Evaluates Immune Response to Telomerase
Tumor Antigen as Possible Vaccine
(Philadelphia, PA) – Researchers at the Abramson
Cancer Center of the University of
Pennsylvania have begun a Phase I clinical
trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a telomerase
peptide as a possible vaccine against breast cancer.
The study will measure potential tumor cell shrinkage
in patients after an immune response has been triggered
to an antigen – the telomerase peptide –
found in more than 90 percent of breast cancer tumors.
The study is made possible through a unique $500,000
grant from the “Avon-NCI Progress for Patients”
Awards program, a special private-public partnership
between the Avon Foundation, Inc. and the National Cancer
Institute (NCI) dedicated to accelerating early phase
clinical research into promising therapies.
“This is the first clinical study to use a telomerase
peptide as a possible vaccine against breast cancer,”
said lead researcher Robert Vonderheide, MD,
DPhil, an assistant professor at the Leonard
and Madlyn Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute
at the University of Pennsylvania. “Our
hope is that the immune response will kill the cancer
and improve the health of patients.”
Twenty-eight patients with metastatic breast cancer
will be enrolled in the study, which is expected to
last two years. Patients will be injected with one of
three escalating doses of the telomerase antigen in
combination with adjuvant therapies (granulocyte-macrophage
colony stimulating factor, GM-CSF) over a period of
seven months. The immune and tumor response to the telomerase-based
vaccine will be monitored over the duration of the study
and compared to a control response to an injection of
cytomegalovirus peptide.
The results of an earlier feasibility study –
also led by Vonderheide and published in the February
1st edition of the journal Clinical Cancer Research
– showed immune responses with little toxicity
in seven breast and prostate cancer patients after they
were injected with small amounts of a similar telomerase
peptide vaccine.
“One breast cancer patient in the earlier study
showed temporary tumor regression, prompting us to accelerate
research into the possibility of a vaccine,” said
trial principal investigator Susan Domchek,
MD, a breast medical oncologist at the Abramson
Cancer Center and assistant professor at Penn’s
School of Medicine.
Patients can obtain further information about the trial
by calling: (215) 573-6760, or toll free at 1-800-789-Penn
(7366).
For
a printer friendly version of this release, click
here.
# # #
The Abramson Cancer Center
of the University of Pennsylvania was established
in 1973 as a center of excellence in cancer research,
patient care, education and outreach. Today, the Abramson
Cancer Center ranks as one of the nation’s best
in cancer care, according to US News and World Report,
and is one of the top five in National Cancer Institute
(NCI) funding. It is one of only 39 NCI-designated comprehensive
cancer centers in the United States. Home to one of
the largest clinical and research programs in the world,
the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
has 275 active cancer researchers and 250 Penn physicians
involved in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
More information about the Abramson Cancer Center is
available at: www.pennhealth.com/cancer
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